


Father Knows Best, Right?

by NerdNirdNurd



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen, Supernatural Cathartica
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-29 08:11:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20432348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdNirdNurd/pseuds/NerdNirdNurd
Summary: Or, John Is A Slow Learner, But He LearnsToday's Trope for Ridicule:1) Dean is John's Stone Number 1. And that's because Dean believes everything his father says, even when he knows John is either a) lying, or b) flat out wrong, because Family Business, That's WhyIn this AU, Sam actually shot and killed John, who is now in Purgatory.Not beta'd





	Father Knows Best, Right?

Dean had no idea what day, or time of day it was. He wasn't even sure if there were days in this place. All he knew, was that he was basically weaponless, except for a club he'd fashioned from a tree branch, and a knife he'd made from another tree branch, and every where he looked, there were monsters. On the one hand, he fell into a brutally efficient killing groove.

On the other hand, he was getting tired of nothing but vampires, werewolves, ghouls, warlocks, chupacabras, hydras and mermen and who in the fuck knew what else.

He literally hollered when he saw another human man. 

Within minutes, that exhilaration had been extinguished. This wasn't a game preserve, lorded over by some fae or another. This was purgatory. And if this was Purgatory, that meant Dean didn't survive the fight. For a split second, the burning heat of failure blossomed in his chest; somewhere on earth, a fae witch was hurting people, and Dean had failed to stop her, unless he had, and she was here somewhere, too. He'd heard that monsters went to purgatory. Clearly it was true. Oh, and the man told him that Purgatory was different for different people. There was an accounting purgatory, a CEO purgatory, a sex addict purgatory, a drug addict purgatory, a gambler's purgatory...there were a whole lot of purgatories. Endless fucking purgatories. 

This purgatory? Was a combo purgatory; monsters and hunters. He wasn't exactly sure what he had to work through, though. He loved hunting. He couldn't see getting tired of it any time soon.

So Dean kept moving, and kept hunting. He met more humans over time, making short terms agreements to watch over each other's sleep. Eating was something of an issue, since you couldn't usually get enough time to catch, skin and cook anything. Although he could say from experience, that werewolf was gamey like rabbit. And then the miracle of all miracles...

Dean was backing away from a pond, toward a cave, thirty or forty feet from the water. He had his knife out, certain that something was going to slither from the water, and...

"Ho, there kiddo. Watch your six."

Dean knew that voice. He whirled around, and there stood his father. His hair was wavy and floppy like Sam's. He had a full beard. But it was unmistakable John Winchester.

"Dad!" 

John engulfed his son in a bear hug, and that's how they stood for a long, long time, rocking from side to side, overjoyed to be reunited. They stayed in each others arms for what must've been hours, talking into each others shoulders and ears. Dean openly cried, as did John. At some point, they walked arm in arm into the cave behind the pond. John built a fire in the ground, and they ate pond monster tentacles for dinner.

"So this is purgatory." Dean said. John nodded.

"Yeah. Step one to Heaven." John said. "If you're here, that's a good thing."

Dean blinked. 

"Wait. What?"

"This is where messed up souls come. You come to purgatory to work off whatever's...got you fucked up, or, you know, earthly compulsions. Then when they're gone, you go to Heaven."

"Are you shittin' me?" Dean barked. He was so angry he jumped up and started walking back and forth. 

"Saw it with my own eyes. My father waited, here, for me. Turns out he didn't run out on me and mom. A demon killed him. He needed me to know he didn't leave us." John said.  
"And now you're here. I can go." He said.

Dean stared at his father, in disbelief. "Well that's just great! I can't believe you!"

"I'm not seeing the problem, son." John said, entirely too calmly. But Dean blinked at the word son, because well, when had he heard that last? Then he remembered he was pissed off.

"You told me Heaven doesn't exist! I've lived my whole life on that principle. We help ourselves, because there's no help out there, because when you die, you die. That's what you said. There's no such thing as fucking Heaven. The whole idea is fucking stupid. Those were YOUR WORDS. Heaven is for idiots!"

"Oh." John said. "I was completely wrong." The man had the nerve to laugh. This whole incident was wreaking havoc on Dean's rigidly orchestrated world. John Winchester only laughed when monsters died, and never out of joy or happiness, because he didn't have it in him; he'd once said happiness was for idiots, too. It was like watching a complete stranger.

If John Winchester wasn't already dead, Dean was pretty sure he'd've stabbed the man.

"Don't be so glum." John said. "Your battle is better than halfway over. And you're the best man I've ever known, Dean. I'm proud to call you my son."

Dean could literally hear a wrong answer buzzer go off in his imagination. Bilious anger rose in his stomach, and Dean tried to choke it down, but it caught him off guard, so he couldn't. 

"Doesn't count when you're dead."

John sobered quickly, and nodded to acknowledge Dean's anger. 

"You're right. Saying it now doesn't make up for not saying it when I had the chance. And for that, I'm sorry." John said. 

That...sort of made Dean feel better, but then he remembered...

"I cut ties with Sam after he killed you. I disowned him." Dean said. John closed his mouth and stared at his oldest son.

"Can't say I'm surprised." He said. "You were always one to follow my example. I'd hoped like hell you wouldn't follow that one."

"I couldn't forgive him." Dean said. He was seated again. He didn't know when he'd sat back down. "It was years before I could even try."

John stayed quiet, and let Dean take his time.

"You are MY father, I was HIS father. And he killed you." Dean said. John as quiet for a long time, then he looked Dean right in the eye.

"Sam is very intuitive. He understood what it would cost him. He knew you wouldn't get over it." John said. Dean looked up at John.

"I don't think he did." Dean said. "He was so hurt when I told him to get lost."

Tears were shining on his cheeks, his eyes were red and his voice was cracking. Apparently Purgatory purged men of their manliness, because Dean was bawling like a baby. And to make matters worse, John hugged him again, but this time, he held Dean like he did when Dean was four years old. Both arms and everything.

"I thought I was never going to see you again." Dean said.

"I'm sorry. I'm so very sorry." John said. Dean got himself together after that. Sam would have called it a cathersomethingsomething' moment. Dean wiped his nose and his eyes and sniffed and coughed and got himself together. 

"I had no idea I'd end up in front of a campfire, talking to you over swamp monster barbecue."

"Yeah well, I think we're overdue for something good." John said. "Do you have any idea where he is?" 

"I don't know. I haven't seen or heard from him in years. Even when I looked for him, I couldn't find a trace. He ghosted almost everybody" Dean admitted.

"How many years has it been?" John asked.

"Nine."

Silence fell between the two men. The peace that had animated John's face was gone now, and lines and wrinkles deepened in the shadows of the firelight. The sun didn't exactly set in Purgatory. 

"What about Azazel's army?" John asked. Dean shrugged.

"Demolished. Word on the street is Sam took out Azazel's other kids all at one time in some little town somewhere." Dean said. "Then about a year after that, there was some kind of big upset in Hell. Ever demon I interrogated said Azazel was dead. That's all I got."

John nodded.

"Good. Good. Sam...is more capable than I gave him credit for." John said. "I've heard some things about him since I got down here. I think it's safe to say he's holding his own."

"So what now?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. What I do know, is I'm tired." John said. He turned to Dean and said, "And Mary's probably getting tired of waiting. She used to get antsy when I was slow about stuff. She hated it when I did the dishes. She'd pace behind me and keep looking over my shoulder and then at the clock and then at me." John said, smiling. He sighed, and regarded Dean for a while. He took in every detail, from Dean's hair, down to his boots. He pulled Dean in for a hug, kissed his forehead, and let go. Dean caught his arm, and hugged his father with everything he had. John allowed it, but then he took hold of Dean's arms, and gently pushed his son away. John was still smiling.

"We'll be waiting for you and your brother. You make sure to tell him that I wised up when I died, and that I'm damn proud of him."

Then with a bright flash, Dean's Dad was engulfed in a blinding white light. Dean watched through squinted eyes as the crazy white, glowy ball that was his father, shot up into the brownish, gray not-sky of Purgatory. then it rocketed into the distance and disappeared.

When Dean stopped seeing spots, he looked back down at the ground, and surveyed what was left of his father. There was an expertly carved wooden spear, with a some kind of shale for a blade, a backpack made from stitched denim seams and an old plaid shirt. He found smoked meat of some kind inside, along with a leather water skin. 

Dean got up, swung the pack over his shoulders, picked up the spear, and started walking. As he walked away from the cave, he saw an old, gnarled tree and on it, he saw 

**H. Winchester Was Here**

and below that: 

**J. Winchester Was Here Too **

Dean found a rock and, right underneath his father's name, followed suit:

**Dean Winchester Was Also Here **

END


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